"Where do you think YOU are going?"
A raspy voice rang out, breaking the silent dusk. Twilight Sparkle spun around, a shrill shriek escaping her lips as she scanned the shadows for the sound of the voice. Before her was the front of Canterlot High, an area she had grown familiar with over the last year. Swallowing nervously, she crept around the Wondercolt statue. She peered around the side, only to discover nothing but her pwn shadow, stretching over the statue. She sighed and shook her head.
"No. Get yourself together Twilight. She's gone. She's been gone" Twilight whispered to herself as she turned her back to the statue. A sharp breeze tugged at her hair as she began to walk away, her arms wrapped around herself for warmth, and a bit of comfort too.
Just before she could step onto the sidewalk, a tremor shook the ground. Twilight screamed as a crack torn the sidewalk away from her, leaving her stranded in front of the school. A deafening crack coming from somewhere behind her caused her to shriek once more. She spun around to discover the source of the sound, only to witness her own shadow looming over a crumbling Wondercolt statue. Just as she was about to turn to run away, an ominous cackle emanated from the shadow.
"Did you really think you had escaped me? How foolish..." A familiar voice declared. Terror rooted Twilight to the ground. No matter how much she willed her legs to move, they wouldn't budge an inch. Suddenly, the shadow shot up into the air, filling the air with chaotic energy. As Twlight desperately tried to run away, the shadows began to form into a humanoid shape. Jagged wings shot out from the side and a glowing horn sprouted from the forehead. With a blinding burst of violet light, Midnight Sparkle appeared from the shadow.
"N-No! My friends and I banished you at the Friendship Games, and again at Camp Everfree!" Twilight shouted at the figure, hoping she was simply just seeing things. The ground began to crumble away, falling into an abyss of turbulent darkness, leaving only a direct path from where she stood over to the demonic figure.
"You will never be free of me. I always have been and will always be there, deep within your mind. Your so called friends can tell you whatever ever they want but you know that I will always be close behind" Midnight Sparkle sneered, slowly stepping down from the statue ruins and onto the ground. With each step, the concrete and statue pieces fell into the abyss, disappearing from sight, and with every step that Midnight Sparkle took closer, Twilight's hope began to fall away like the concrete.
"T-That's not true" Twilight managed to stammer.
"Th-This isn't real, it can't be!" Midnight Sparkle stopped in her tracks and threw her head back in a wicked cackle.
"Oh, it can. AND IT IS!" She roared, evil delight seeping from her words. Her wings extended outwards and she began to grow until her face was all that Twilight could see.
"Did you really think you had seen the last of me?" She asked, sharp teeth poking out of her sly grin. At Twilight's silence, Midnight began to cackle once more.
"Oh, you silly, naive girl! Do you really think that you can just run off to your little college with your little friends and leave me behind? WRONG! You should know better. With every book you read and every experiment you do, I grow stronger. Your magical studies will give me the power I need to take control once more! After that, we will have the power to obtain all the magical knowledge we've ever wanted!" Twilight cried out and covered her ears in a desperate attempt to block the booming voice. Nothing seemed to help and Midnight's words continued to echo around in her mind.
"N-No, please..." Twilight whimpered, closing her eyes as tightly as she could. "I don't want that."
"TOO BAD!" Midnight's roaring voice thundering voice filled Twilight with a burning sensation. She cried out, but it was too late. Dark magic erupted from her eyes and mouth, tearing her apart to reveal Midnight Sparkle within her. The magic over powered her cries and turned them into giggles of delight, leaving her helpless.
Twilight watched, powerlessly, as she used her demonic claws to rip the fabric of reality apart, exposing the pony world where the magic had originated from. The screams of her friends began to erupt from the abyss causing Twilight's mind to sear in pain.
"Don't do this, Twilight!"
"Please Twilight!"
"Twilight, No! Help u-"
"Twilight? Twilight! Twilight, wake up!"
Twilight Sparkle's eyes snapped open and she shot up in her sleeping bag, a groggy shout on the tip of her tongue. A warm hand quickly covered her lips, blocking the sound from escaping. Once the last wisps of sleepiness drifted from her eyes, she was able to make out the concerned face of Sunset Shimmer. Her lips were pursed and her eyes narrowed in worry.
"Hey, you were having a nightmare," She whispered, glancing around at the five other sleeping girls in the room. "...let's go out into the living room so we don't wake anyone up."
Twilight nodded and shakily unzipped her sleeping bag. Sunset followed suit and offered Twilight a steady hand. Twilight smiled nervously and grasped her friend's hand, pulling herself to her feet. Carefully, the two tip toed around the sleeping figures, keeping an eye out for any of Pinkie Pie's hidden confetti cannons or noise makers. Twilight glanced around, checking to see if anyone else had been disturbed by her night terror. She could make out the silhouette of Pinkie's tent; nearly lifted off the ground by the sheer amount of balloons attached to the top. Pinkie had insisted on setting up her tent, insisting that it would be 'super-duper funerific fun' to set it up in her bedroom. Curled up on her fluffy, pillow filled bed was Rarity and Applejack. Rarity had on her favorite gemstone studded eye mask and was tucked in under the tightly fitted sheets. Applejack had been thoughtful enough to bring another blanket and sleep on top of the sheets, as to not disturb her partner. At the foot of the bed were the sleeping forms of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. The two were cuddled up together in one large sleeping bag, along with a few of Fluttershy's animal friends. The muffled sound of Rainbow's violent snoring, due to a well placed pillow over the perpetrator's face, filled the early morning silence.
Twilight and Sunset tiptoed down the hall, past the other bedrooms, and made their way into the living room. Sunset plopped down onto the sofa and patted the spot beside her with a warm smile. Twilight clasped her hands together and reluctantly sat down next to her friend.
"Is everything okay? You were mumbling and thrashing in your sleep." Sunset asked, grasping Twilight's hands with her own.
"Yep! Everything's totally fine!" Twilight chirped quickly, flashing a nervous smile before turning away. Sunset's brow furrowed and she gripped Twilight's hands tighter. She briefly closed her eyes while taking a deep breath.
"Twilight. I know something is wrong. You can tell me anything; I'd never judge you." Sunset soothed. Twilight sighed and looked back at her.
"I... I had a nightmare about Midnight Sparkle...", she mumbled, looking down at the ground.
"Midnight Sparkle?" Sunset gasped, covering her mouth with a hand. "You haven't had a nightmare about her since Camp Everfree."
"I know." Twilight responded, tucking a loose strand of hair back into her bun. "Ever since Principal Celestia tasked me with writing my valedictorian speech, she's been in my dreams every night."
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"Well..." Twilight looked away as her voice trailed off. "I didn't want to put a damper on everyone's excitement, with graduation tomorrow and everything."
"We're your friends. We will always want to help you, no matter what. It doesn't matter whatever else is going on." Sunset frowned as Twilight remained silent. "What was your nightmare about?"
Twilight winced at the memory of her nightmare. She remained quiet for a few more moment, reluctant to relive such a terrible dream.
"Well, Midnight Sparkle trapped me in front of the school by the Wondercolts statue. I tried to get away but the ground fell away. She told me that she was never truly gone and that going to college would only give her power and that all my friends..." Twilight's voice trailed off as she realized she was rambling. She sniffled softly, wiping the beginnings of tears away from her eyes. Sunset's gaze softened and gently wrapped Twilight in an embrace. At the physical contact, Twilight began to cry, gripping Sunset as tight as she could. The two sat on the couch for a few minutes, Sunset rubbing Twilight's back gently as she cried. Once the sobbing had turned into soft sniffling, Sunset let go and grasped Twilight's shoulder, forcing her to look into her eyes.
"Twilight. We all love you more than anything. We'd never let anything happen to you. Just like at the Friendship games and Camp Everfree, we will always help you see the light in your magic. Your magic is the magic of friendship. As long as you remember that, she can never take control."
"But she's still apart of me..."
"Yes, she is. I won't lie to you. We all have a darkness within us but the light of friendship keeps it from taking over. I used to feel just like you do. I know my darkness is still inside of me but I also know that my friends won't let it lead me astray." Sunset smiled, loosening her grip on Twilight's shoulders. Twilight sniffled softly and wiped away the last of her tears.
"You're right, Sunset. I guess I got so afraid that's we'd grow apart that my fear got the best of me."
"Twilight. We're all best friends. Nothing would ever push us apart. And besides, we have the elements on our side." she said with a playful wink.
Twilight giggled softly and smiled back at Sunset.
"Yeah." She said softly. "Thanks for listening and talking to me, but we should probably get back to bed. We have to get up early to get ready for the graduation ceremony."
Sunset smiled and nodded softly. She wrapped her arms around Twilight once more, drawing her friend into a warm hug. Twilight smiled and sighed contently, holding onto Sunset gently. The pair sat together, wrapped in embrace, for a while, bathed in the first rays of the sunrise.
"Anything for you, Twilight."
⚪ ⚪ ⚪
"...Often on graduation day we look outside for inspiration to guide us through the journey ahead, however, we have to look no further than this very room. I have seen in my time at Canterlot High that we don't have to look far for that inspiration. We each have the potential to make an inspiring contribution to others, proven true by our resilience and tenacity in the face of adversity.
When you leave here today, celebrate all that you have overcome, and use that to become a source of inspiration for others. No matter what path you take, spread all that you have learned here about friendship to inspire others to do the same. Together, we can make the world a brighter place, one friend at a time.
Congratulations class, congratulations to each and everyone of you. I am honored to call you all my friends."
The crowd roared with applause as students and parents alike rose to their feet. Graduation caps began to be tossed into the air, forming a dark wave that quickly toppled back down. The buzz of excitement from the crowd grew higher as her fellow classmates picked up their hats and turned to each other. Twilight Sparkle's eyes scanned the crowd as the students began to embrace each other in celebration of the monumental occasion. She was able to find the group of her friends, all wrapped up in one of Pinkie Pie's bone crushing hugs. While most of her friends' were busy crying with joy, Sunset Shimmer's eyes were locked on Twilight. Their gazes met and they shared a moment fulfillment. Twilight could feel her heart swell with pride. In this moment, she knew that Sunset had been right. No matter what happened, she would always have her friends by her side. Always.
Author's Note
Thank you so much for reading my first story! Please feel free to leave me feedback and let me know if you'd like to see more stories from me.
